(2/4)…who launched motor life boats from STA Cape Disappointment, the air crews arrived on scene to find the vessel floundering in the surf! The surf made rescue by boat dangerous, so the aircrew decided to lower the rescue swimmer and have the owner enter the water for rescue… pic.twitter.com/z92WvzpTG9
— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) February 3, 2023
Jessica Schladebeck
New York Daily News
Goonies never say dead fish.
A man accused of dumping a dead fish on the porch of a home featured in the film “The Goonies” was rescued by the Coast Guard after his stolen yacht capsized in turbulent waters Friday, Oregon authorities said.
Cops said Jericho Labonte, 35, was arrested after the rescue at the mouth of the Columbia River, which runs through Oregon and Washington before opening up to the Pacific Ocean.
Labonte had been wanted by authorities since Wednesday for the alleged fish dropoff, according to the the police department in Astoria, Ore.
After the rescue, Labonte was transported by helicopter to Coast Guard Base Astoria, where he was treated for mild hypothermia before being taken to a hospital.
Local authorities said they recognized Labonte from video of the rescue shared on social media.
A clip posted by the Coast Guard shows a rescue swimmer being lowered into the water from a helicopter hovering in the air above. He swims over to the yacht, which is then rolled by a massive wave, before he reaches Labonte and helps him out of the river.
By the time police arrived at the hospital to arrest Labonte, he had already been released. Officers managed to capture and arrest him later, but did not provide further details.
“It’s been a really odd 48 hours,” Astoria Police Chief Stacy Kelly said.
Labonte was wanted on charges of theft, endangering another person, unauthorized use of a vehicle and criminal mischief.
He was also wanted in Canada on charges of criminal harassment, mischief and failure to comply. Those charges, in his native British Columbia, date to last fall.
With News Wire Services
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